Strategies for Teens to Navigate Mental Health in the Classroom
May is National Mental Health Awareness Month
May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, an observance aimed at normalizing conversations about mental health and ending the stigma against mental health issues and treatment.
In the COVID-19 era, mental health awareness is critical. Every student has been, and continues to be, profoundly impacted by the pandemic. Whether they’ve been isolated from friends and family, experienced economic uncertainty, or even suffered a loss, it’s an important time to start an open dialogue with students about their mental health.
Talking to Students about Mental Health
Having a conversation with students about mental health can help cultivate a safe space for questions and empower students to manage their own mental health with coping strategies.
These conversations can take place in any classroom or can be built into a curriculum. To help frame your conversations, we’ve pulled some coping strategies written for students in Teen Health and Glencoe Health, comprehensive health and wellness curricula for middle and high school. In the mental health modules of the texts, students explore the science behind mental health and review strategies for coping with anxiety, stress, and grief.
These tips are simply high-level, quick strategies you can share with students, and not reflective of the full mental health curriculum. Be sure to also connect with your school psychologist or other trained support specialists to ensure your students receive the intervention and ongoing help they need.
Mental Health Tips for Students from Teen Health and Glencoe Health
Managing Anxiety
Mild anxiety can be useful because it gives you extra energy. When it builds up too much, however, it can be harmful. It can interfere with normal and necessary functions like eating and sleeping. To help with feelings of anxiety:
- Talking with others can help calm you down, like a family member, friend, or counselor.
- You can also try writing your feelings in a journal.
- Physical activity can also help you feel less tense.
- If appropriate, meet the challenge directly. This will also help you deal with similar challenges in the future.
Coping with Stress
- Relax. Taking deep breaths is one good way to help yourself relax. Doing stretches or taking a hot shower can help loosen tension in your muscles. You can also relax just by doing something you enjoy, such as reading a book or listening to music.
- Stay physically active. Stress can make you feel all wound up. Physical activity can be a good way to use up that extra energy. Being physically active releases chemicals in your body that help you feel happy and calm. You can try lifting weights, playing sports, or just going for a walk.
- Talk it out. Talking about your feelings, or writing about them in a journal, can help get them off your chest. It may also help you think of new ways to deal with your problems.
- Keep a positive outlook. A good laugh can be the best medicine. Laughing out loud relieves tension and leaves you feeling more relaxed.
Keeping Stress Levels Under Control
- Get adequate rest. Too little sleep can affect your ability to concentrate which can affect schoolwork, athletics, and even relationships.
- Get regular physical activity. Physical activity can release pent-up energy and clear your mind. Regular exercise also improves your energy level and endurance and helps you sleep better.
- Eat healthy foods. Eating a variety of healthful foods and drinking plenty of water helps your body function properly everyday.
- Become resilient. Make self-maintenance and stress-management strategies a part of your daily routine. Resiliency also helps you recover from disappointments, difficulties, or crises.
Understanding Grief and Loss
- After experiencing a loss, acknowledging the loss is one way to help begin the healing process.
- Grieving is a natural reaction to loss, and the grieving process can help people accept the loss and start to heal.
- Most people respond to loss, including death, by mourning, which is the act of showing sorrow or grief. Empathy from friends and family is important to help cope with loss during the mourning process.
Signs of Mental and Emotional Disorders
Seeking help is an important first step. If feelings of sadness and depression persist for many weeks, it’s critical that you seek help. Here are some key signs of serious mental health disorders:
- Feeling sad or angry for two weeks or longer
- Wanting to spend all time alone
- Feelings beginning to affect sleep
- Feelings beginning to affect eating habits
- Feelings begin to affect schoolwork
- Feelings begin to affect relationships
- Feeling out of control
- Feeling worried or nervous all of the time
Finding Help
Talk to a trusted adult — parent, guardian, school nurse, counselor or a teacher. Often, just talking about the problem is an important step toward recovery. A trusted adult can steer you toward valid resources to find professional help, such as from doctors, counselors, and support groups.
If you or a friend are in immediate need of crisis support, reach out to a hotline, such as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
More resources for teachers:
To learn more about Glencoe Health and to request samples, see:
References
Glencoe Health. (2022). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
